It seems this time of year, journalists get even lazier than normal and run endless versions of Year in Review, Year in Photos, Year in Quotes, Year in Tweets, etc.
So as a casual blogger and wannabe scribe, am I going to hold myself to a higher bar? Heck no. My middle name is “Bandwagon,” so look out because I am jumping on.
For the next four minutes and thirty-six seconds, I am going to abuse the trust you have placed in me and subject you to MH3’s personal 2011 flashback. To trick you into believing I am doing this from some newly-found magical place in my heart (Yes, TrojanOne staffers – I do have one!), I am going to wrap a golden bow around this list and subtitle it Things for Which I am Grateful… 2011 Version. Yes, I could have chosen a shorter subtitle, but then you would not be rereading this paragraph to count the grammatical errors created in such a short time span.
There are a few guidelines. This is my “professional” list of gratefulness. So if you are my spouse, my mom, my cat, my quarterback, my barber, gardener, dry cleaner, barista, other cat, dog, child, son’s hockey coach, other son’s hockey coach, son’s house league hockey coach, neighbour, sister, niece, brother-in-law, former nanny of my kids, husband of my former nanny, diet coach, receptionist at my club, newspaper carrier, dog sitter, tailor, salesperson at the three stores I actually buy clothes at, barista (oh, I said that but there are so many), my backup quarterback, or my former quarterback… don’t be offended. You are NOT mentioned in this blog! (Reread the current paragraph if you really crave the attention I suspect you do!)
So three-hundred words into this thing, let’s get started… here is the MH3, professional version of things I am grateful for in 2011:
1. I am grateful I saw Cowboys Stadium because I now truly know when they say big in Texas, they mean BIG!
2. I am grateful the Broncos handed the ball to Tebow, because he is putting the ‘fun’ back in the No Fun League (NFL). Amen!
3. I am grateful that Jack Layton got to be Leader of the Official Opposition on his tombstone.
4. I am grateful that Derek Kent is back in Canada, because he is one of the top talents we have.
5. I am grateful to have been a small contributor in Movember’s record $39 million raised in Canada … of $114 million globally!
6. I am grateful I got tickets for the London Olympics because the Vancouver Games stole my heart!
7. I am grateful for the deaths of Bin Laden, Gadhafi, and Kim Jong II … but mourn the deaths of Wade Belak, Rick Rypien, and Derek Boogaard.
8. I am grateful I met Kent Hawkins of Icebreaker at the Canadian Sponsorship Forum… and not just for the free undies he sent me… keep your eye on him in the marketing world.
9. I am grateful the Vanier Cup got the stage it deserved as McMaster won its first-ever title in the greatest college bowl played on Canadian soil!
10. I am grateful the NBA was on strike because maybe they learned how irrelevant they are in the fall.
11. I am grateful the Maple Leafs weren’t sold to Americans… or Wayne Gretzky… which is actually the same thing.
12. I am grateful the USA didn’t win the Women’s World Cup, because it means the 2015 event in Canada will be the subject of needless hype, media pressure, and attention from the American media.
13. I am grateful I got to see Craven in Regina… so an old guy from Toronto, wearing a pink shirt at a country music drunkfest, can prove he can carry a full beer can on his head, farther than any prairie kids.
14. I am grateful the Jets are back in Winnipeg… now if we can only get the Nordiques back, a team in Hamilton and maybe one in Barrie…
15. I am grateful we have a kid named Milos, who is on his way to providing tennis glory not seen in this country since Carling Bassett was my teenage crush.
16. I am grateful that Eastern Commerce star Jamaal Magloire will get to play as a pro in his hometown… what took the Raptors so long?
17. I am grateful to have met David Hughes of Pathways, one of the biggest contributors to Canadian society you have never heard of.
18. I am BEYOND grateful to all my staff, clients, and suppliers for making 2011 the BEST EVER in the history of TrojanOne!